Investigation Continues Into Deaths of Florida Horses

WELLINGTON, Fla. (AP) - Organ by organ, veterinarians are takingapart 21 prized polo horses to uncover what killed themmysteriously over the weekend during preparations for a match inone of the sport's top championships. Simultaneously, stateauthorities have opened a criminal probe to determine whether thedeaths were intentional, a result of negligence or simply aterrible accident.

With careful cuts to their muscular bodies, the investigatorslook for lesions, fluids, bruises and hemorrhages, any obvioussigns of sickness. They're removing the hearts, lungs, livers,kidneys and spleens, and cutting small samples to be tested fortoxins. The process unfolds much as it would for a dead person.

State officials believe the horses died from an adverse drugreaction, toxins in their food or supplements, or a combination ofthe two. Two days after the horses' deaths, authorities say theyhave not uncovered any crime but continue to investigate.

"We want to make sure from a law enforcement standpoint thatthere was no impropriety ... no purposeful harm or laws violated inFlorida," said Terence McElroy, spokesman for the state Departmentof Agriculture and Consumer Services, which is handling the casewith help from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.

The horses from the Venezuelan-owned team began collapsingSunday as they were unloaded from trailers at the InternationalPolo Club Palm Beach, with some dying at the scene and others hourslater. They were set to compete in the sport's U.S. Open tournamentahead of the finals this coming Sunday, and were seen as topcontenders.

While veterinarians work with their scalpels, investigators areinterviewing everyone who encountered the horses the day of thegame and gathering evidence such as feed and supplements from thestables where the horses were kept.

"Should criminal activity surface, we don't want to be so farbehind the eight-ball that we're playing catch-up," said sheriff'sCapt. Greg Richter.

The exhaustive process included more evidence collecting Tuesdayat the stables used by the Lechuza Polo team, said Dr. MichaelShort, the state's equine programs manager who is helpingcoordinate the case.

The investigation hinges on a combination of interviews withplayers and groomers, tests of feed and a history of the horses'training regimens, Short said. Information gathered there andduring the necropsies will help investigators refine their approachto the toxicologies.

Officials said the necropsies were completed by Tuesday night,and revealed some bleeding but offered no definitive clues. Shortexpects that testing blood and tissue for toxins will be moreimportant in pinpointing the cause. But results from toxicologiescould take weeks.

Short had said earlier in the day the necropsies may not revealmuch, given officials suspect the culprit to be "some type oftoxin or poison."

The team's owner, prominent Venezuelan banker Victor Vargas, hasnot spoken publicly since the deaths. In fact, it's unclear ifVargas, president of the Venezuelan Banking Association, or theteam are still in Florida. Authorities would not say.

The team issued a statement Monday night that it does not knowthe cause of deaths, but is helping with the investigation.

While it's not clear exactly how the Lechuza horses were fed ortrained, several people involved in the sport say that keeping thehorses on a strict routine is a key to winning games. Trainersrarely stray, especially not hours before a match.

Kris Bowman, manager of the Vero Beach Polo Club, said theanimals are generally given grain and hay in the morning, then inthe evening and more hay around noon. Some ponies also are givenelectrolytes in their water, Bowman said.

"Everybody has their own style," he said. "Just like anyathlete would have for a warm-up."

The teams spend months fine-tuning their daily routines, saidOwen Rinehart, a polo player and breeder in Aiken, S.C., and itwould be unusual for a successful team like Lechuza to deviate atthe last minute.

"They certainly have done everything right in the past,"Rinehart said. "I don't think that there's any way anybody wouldcompromise a situation like that."

He said trainers for top teams wouldn't risk giving apotentially dangerous performance-enhancing drug to an entire groupof horses. The 21 Lechuza horses have been estimated to be worthmore than $2 million.

"It's just not worth it," he said.

However, the U.S. Polo Association doesn't require drug testingof horses.

"There are no rules," the association's director, Peter Rizzo,told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

He did not return repeated calls from The Associated Press.

The club said games would resume Thursday with a moment ofsilence and a wreath laying ceremony. Finals are still set forSunday. The Lechuza team has withdrawn.

Copyright 2015 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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